Presidents Cup rosters nearly finalized after D. Bank

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NORTON, Mass. – While many players had their eyes on the FedEx Cup fluctuations Monday afternoon at TPC Boston, the race for the 10 automatic qualifying spots on both the U.S. and International Presidents Cup rosters came to a dramatic conclusion at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Thanks to a birdie on the 72nd hole, Zach Johnson held off Webb Simpson to retain the 10th and final automatic spot on the American roster. It will mark Johnson’s third appearance in the biennial competition (2007, 2009), as he and Deutsche Bank runner-up Steve Stricker were able to play their way onto captain Fred Couples’ roster this week at TPC Boston.

Though he entered this week ranked ninth in the American standings, Simpson missed out on automatic qualification by the slimmest of margins. He will join Jim Furyk (12th), Dustin Johnson (13th), Bubba Watson (14th) and Jordan Spieth (22nd) among the notable names hoping to be added to the team by Couples, who has two additional picks at his discretion.

Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee finished in the 11th spot on the International standings, followed by Australia’s Marc Leishman and South Africa’s Tim Clark. Like Couples, International captain Nick Price has two picks at his disposal. Both captains will round out their 12-man rosters during an announcement Wednesday afternoon.

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Gray, an associate editor of community/content, contributes to the Golf Central blog.